The hope here is that this woodshed whipping moves owner Stephen Ross, general manager Jeff Ireland and coach Joe Philbin to be sufficiently humbled and, indeed humiliated, that they do something really significant this offseason.

That doesn’t mean draft players and believe that alone will build them a winner because that’s seemingly how the Green Bay Packers did it

That doesn’t mean re-signing their own free agents because while that can help, ultimately it means you are re-signing players that got you to 7-9 three of the past four years.

And that definitely doesn’t mean signing bargain-basement free agents who fill in around the roster’s margins. The Dolphins did that last year and most of those players didn’t make it to the season opener.

What it means is taking the approximately $46.8 million in salary-cap space the club has this coming offseason and doing all of the above and doing it with the idea of adding big-time playmakers who can truly help bridge the gap between Miami and a playoff team.

I am told by team sources the Dolphins have every intention of making an impact in free agency if the opportunity is there.

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The point is the Dolphins have been missing opportunities to do major things since 2010 when the trade for Brandon Marshall and the signing of Karlos Dansby didn’t deliver quite as hoped.

The team has taken a different free agency approach since that offseason, apparently staying clear off the NFL’s hot stove so as not to get burned.

Well, the past couple of years of being conservative in the offseason haven’t really worked, either.